US publishers split over Iranian trade embargo ruling

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US scientific publishers are divided in their response to their government's ruling that editing or publishing scientific manuscripts from Iran, Libya, Sudan and Cuba violates the trade embargo on these countries.

The journals of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) have stopped accepting manuscripts from researchers in embargoed countries. On the other hand, the American Institute of Physics, the American Physical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, which publishes Science, have so far refused to comply.

Some societies, including the IEEE, are actively pursuing a special licence to publish research from scientists in embargoed countries. But other groups are considering court action and legislation to overturn the ruling.